�I say this to my guys every morning: Everything could explode at any moment. Just after I said it this morning a bus load of pensioners showed up on a field trip. An old woman brought us some food. It�s crazy. They shouldn�t be here. You shouldn�t be here.�
�What�s happening here is very unusual,” Zvika, the Israeli Defense Forces Spokesman, said. But he wouldn’t tell me what, exactly, was so unusual. Shortly after I left the country, a story broke in the Daily Telegraph that explained it.
Iran has moved into South Lebanon. Intelligence agents are helping Hezbollah construct watch towers fitted with one-way bullet-proof windows right next to Israeli army positions.
Here’s what one officer said:
This is now Iran’s front line with Israel. The Iranians are using Hizbollah to spy on us so that they can collect information for future attacks. And there is very little we can do about it.
Michael Totten, reporting from Israel.
(Part 1)
Update – Part 3
interesting!
I*m glad you picked up on this. It clarifies so much to so many very quickly.
Drones flying over Israel*s northern border from Lebabon so *MadMud* can mark Xs on his tactical maps. Getting ready is he?
If this is in the MSM anywhere, I didn*t see it yet. And the part about Hizbolah, Iran*s force, running things on the border while Hamas sits quietly in the shadows.
Writing on the wall.. I don*t like it in any way shape or form.
This may lead to more VCR recordings to go next to the 45 VCR tapes of the Iraq war. TG
Israel should re-establish a security zone in South Lebanon.
Excellent insight! I suppose one could say that Lebanon is a moderate natiom that is fully under control of foreign extremist elements. We also see how the radical jihadi movements act like a paracitic netity on the back of moderate or passive islam. It seems to me that Lebanon needs some help ridding itself of hostile radical elements which are usurping the autority of its government,people and military.
Islam’s true face; the masks ripped off Islam in Iran. The true evil face includes:
Misogyny: hatred of women.
“He calls for stronger action to combat such women.” +
10,000 People Got Reprimanded in one week [Iran]
Rooz Online ^ | 01 May 2006 | Maryam Dastgir
Posted on 05/01/2006 5:45:55 AM PDT by Tasha Dasha Doo
The commander of Tehran police says his forces have reprimanded 10,000 men and women in greater Tehran streets for violating the Islamic dress code, the hijab. Over 3,000 businesses were inspected by the police and 290 were given notices to make changes to their displays or for not observing the Islamic dress code. Unlike past cases, the businesses were not fined or closed down this time, and officials have been avoiding harshly confronting people who are not observing the Islamic hijab, also a departure from past practice.
The efforts to force women to comply with the Islamic dress code do not just come from the police and the law enforcement agencies. Religious groups and institutions have been behind it and exert pressure on the government and its agencies all the time. Their arguments and pressures make resonance among parts of the ruling circles. It is noteworthy that till today no NGO has called for demonstrations against women�s attire. However, after last week�s Tehran public prayers on Friday, a group of prayer participants, on invitation from pro-government Ansare Hizbullah group, equated bad hijab with prostitution and called on officials to fight it.
Talai, the commander of Tehran police calls his work �supervision� and not intrusion. He says that his forces intervene only when social red lines are crossed, i.e. when the foundations of religion are endangered.
The chairman of the Majlis (Parliament) social committee on the other hand, has criticized the public appearance of women and the make up they use. He calls for stronger action to combat such women. +
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1624538/posts
Don’t worry… it’ll all be okay once Iran gets their own nukes. They’re just feeling a little insecure right now.
Ahmadinejad’s Blogging
Iranian madman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad apparently has a web site: President News. (Hat tip: Wisenheimer.)
(Whois lookups on all the usual suspects did not reveal the owner of this domain.)
UPDATE at 4/30/06 6:37:00 pm:
Using Mac OS X Terminal, the �dig� command reveals that the �A� record for this domain is indeed located in Iran. +
LGF
http://www.president.ir/eng/
From Persia: Amahjihad hisself. Hey Himmler, check under your divan; there’s Jooooos under it. +
President: Many world countries welcome Iran’s nuclear success
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here late Saturday that many countries have welcomed Iran’s nuclear success. Speaking at a gathering of municipal councils of Tehran province, President Ahmadinejad said, “When Iran declared success in producing fuel, many countries welcomed the success. +
I read this quote as part of a story in the Edmonton Journal this morning.
The story is about the Sunni’s boycotting Iranian goods because the Iraqis view the Iranians as the enemy.
The Iraqis even get that Iran is up to no good.
I have spent the last few minutes trying to come up with a web link to the story but I cannot find it. I’ll keep looking.
And all of this doesn’t worry the UN???! The UN is about as useful as the Canadian senate! Push has come to shove and the “pushers” are winning. Nothing good can come of this but what are the “powers that be” doing about it?
I’m not a deeply religious person but didn’t the Bible say something about the end of all mankind starting with a huge fireball in the Holy land??!
Wonderful!
Well, the West needs to keep an eye on and eventually destroy Iran’s nuclear capacity; we can’t let this one get away as Clinton did with North Korea.
However, like all ME Muslim states, Iran is a paper tiger. How many times before (ie., Afghanistan, Iraq) have Muslim countries provoked and blustered, and doubting thomases have warned of “impending quagmires”; of getting bogged down in a terrible war of attrition, etc.? Horsecrap! These sand dune dynasties all just roll over when poked.
They’re all talk and very little walk. Iran couldn’t beat Iraq even with their armies of child mine-sweepers and ‘glorious martyrdom’ shock troops.
Time to start the next Crusades.
I’m sure the US can build those super bunker-busting MOABs as fast as they can be dropped on Iran’s nuke facilities.
This one is do or die. You either deal with Iran’s nukes or deal with global irradiation. Fallout doesn’t stay put. There’s wind and stuff… Not to put too fine a point on the obvious.
You aren’t dealing with sane people. Although the average educated Iranian (which is a surprisingly high percentage of the population) want liberal democracy, the ruling theocratic tyrants are going to get them all killed if there is a nuclear exchange after the mad-mullahs nuke Tel-Aviv.
Not that I’m a big fan of the French but if Iran nukes Paris (which is now possible with N.Korean missiles) you lose the Louvre, the Musea D’Orsay, the National Library with it’s irreplaceable books and manuscripts, all the architecture, and even the comically named Arch of Triumph (Yah, froggies? Name one, you cheese eating surrender monkeys!)
Warwick, have you actually studied history? You do know that Napoleon conquered much of Europe, right? And that Napoleon used the French army to do this?
The level of discourse found in these comments is apalling, despite the warnings. Warwick, why is it “surprising” that many Iranians are educated? Did you not know that the university was invented in the middle east, along with the modern hospital, and mathematics?
Have you studied the world at all before you began belching your opinion upon it?
andrew belched: Warwick, why is it “surprising” that many Iranians are educated? Did you not know that the university was invented in [Greece]…
Mad mullahs can spell Ewehen. +
Iranian envoy asks U.N. to stop U.S. threats (LOL)
Posted by nuconvert
On 05/01/2006 11:56:11 AM PDT � 10 replies
CNN ^ | May 1, 2001
Iranian envoy asks U.N. to stop U.S. threats TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) — Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations has urged U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and the U.N. Security Council to stop “Washington’s illegal and impudent threats against Iran,” the state-run Iranian news agency IRNA reported. “U.S. officials are impudently threatening Iran with use of force in blatant contravention of international law and the basic principles of United Nations Charter,” Mohammad Javad Zarif Zarif Zarif said in a letter Monday to Annan. “U.S. threats against Iran have found new dimension to the extent that U.S. dailies are publishing stories about… +
freerepublic.com
Andrew,
It’s surprising so many Iranians are educated because they live in a theocracy that doesn’t tolerate enlightenment. Even though Iran is Persian and not Arab, compare the education level in Iran to Iraq’s Shia, anyone save the royal family and friends in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria… Even the young (who would not have received their education pre-’79) have a lot of education in Iran – IF they can get into the Iranian universities or better yet afford to go overseas. Previous to 1979, the Shah had modernized their economy and ran some of the best universities around (Lebanon also had a great number of great universities before the islamonutters wrecked it.) Post-revolution, it’s surprising that Iranians have resisted the Mullahs to the extent they have. Now the Mullahs may end up getting their people killed.
Does that explain my point well enough?
Also note that ‘mathematics’ wasn’t invested in the ME, Algebra was. The difference is material. People had obviously been counting for some time before that. As for the university, I’ll trust Mazz and I’ll take your word for it that hospitals were invented in the ME. Iran, though is Persian and not Arab. A lot of the advances in the ME were done in Babylon which is modern day Iraq. None of which was the point.
As for napoleon, ever heard of Wellington? Egypt? Moscow? Yes he trotted along and won some battles, but he ultimately lost – including his entire army in Egypt despite returning to France to a parade as if he had won anything. He was as effective as the English were in holding gains in the 100 years war. The English won just about every battle and still couldn’t hold the land (mostly due to lack of soldiers to hold it and the internal division in England from the Wars of the Roses at the end of the war.) Napoleon had some of the success in battle but kept little from it and ended up a prisoner on St.Helena. Aside from the fleeting success Napoleon had (which was not much if you don’t consolidate it,) the last time the French did anything useful was to invade England in 1066 (where France’s best and brightest stayed to become Englishmen) and Charles Martel’s victories over the Muslims in the 700’s. [Martel’s grandson was Charlemagne?]
In any case, I’ll always slag France whether deserved or not because they’re pains in the A$$ and I don’t like them. In matters of France, they can do no right – and they usually live down to my low expectations.
This is getting to be more and more like 1936.
Some highly gifted englishman who should immediately be booted from the Blogging Tories and the Conservative Party of Canada hate-spoke: “Not that I’m a big fan of the French but if Iran nukes Paris (which is now possible with N.Korean missiles) you lose the Louvre, the Musea D’Orsay, the National Library with it’s irreplaceable books and manuscripts, all the architecture, and even the comically named Arch of Triumph (Yah, froggies? Name one, you cheese eating surrender monkeys!)”
Hey, braniac: could you please drop the Anti-French bit at least until the Tories win another 40-odd seats in Quebec? Excuse me, but “froggies”??? Are you going to ask them to “speak white” next?
Pretty f*cking retarded of you to be talking like that in any context, but what the f*ck are you thinking? This is Canada, man; there are many french people here. Don’t like them? Leave!
The rest of the comments in this thread are garbage. Specifically, you’re a bunch of bloody mouthed idiots believing PRECISELY what the mainstream media is telling you to do.
“Israel should re-establish a security zone in South Lebanon.”
Ya, because the strategy of invading sovereign nations historically has improved Middle East relations. I believe “Annexing neighbouring nations” was step 6(c) in the roadmap to peace, no?
“Time to start the next Crusades.”
You mean a racial/holy war? Cool! We’ll call it “Rahowa”, for short. Does that work for you? I’ll bet it does!
Be higher quality humans, please. Here is your homework: a history of Israel’s nuke program. Cole’s notes version: about 45 years ago, Israel did very much what Iran is doing: they lied to the USA and the world about their nuke program. Interesting read.
http://www.imemc.org/content/view/18390/147/
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/711056.html
For the gifted students: Brazil’s WMD program and nuclear program:
http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2006/04/20/brazil_quietly_pursues_own_nuclear_path/
I’ll say it again: this is a depressing thread and the pro-Bush/pro-“War On Terror” crowd needs to understand that they are an increasingly tiny f*cking minority in the USA and an even tinier minority outside of it. You guys are the dangerous radical fringe, not us.
I don’t recall Israel or Brasil stating repeatedly that they are going to wipe another country off the map…
or printing maps with certain countries missing, as they have at the UN.
Coyote, You said quite a bit in short order there.
The common thing to worry about with Nukes is the contamination and spread of sickness.
The more fearsome possibility, [very seldom mentioned], is the ever possible nuclear chain re-action.
Every nuclear detonation carries the risk of a momentum cascade. If it does happen, we shall all be headed to Red Lobster Land.
Not the ideal way to solve global warming.
On the bright side. There is no need for the West to use anything but conventional precision weapons to wipe out *Almonjeans* underground nuke conentrator plant.
We should give ample warning for the population to move well away from the project target. Iranians are mostly like us in many ways. Apathetic about voting maybe, although I read the elections were hi-jacked by the clerics. It*s the Mullahs who are the problem, not the citizens.
You are correct about the cesspool known as the UN. Oil for food et all.
John Bolten [late ambassador to the UN],recently threatened that the white house was considering a switch to a new UN athority if they didn*t soon become more functional.
Let*s call the new authority the *U.D.N. See Wikipedia.org/United_Democratic_Nations/.
Right away, is not soon enough for me. TG
You know, I’m not quite sure of what to think of Michael Totten. On one hand I can’t fathom his reasoning in wandering through the middle east like a bored person suddenly deciding on a road trip (ask some ex-military types from Moose Jaw who had a hankering for a Salisbury Nip one weekend).
On the other hand though, we are getting a look into the real life of a war torn region that one would never hear from the MSN.
All I know is I’m glad I get to read of his adventures and thank him for the “other” side of journalism.
Israel’s restraint is impressive. If Israel acted in the manner of which it is accused, they wouldn’t have any problems with their neighbours – their neighbours would all be smacked down hard by superior firepower.
Batoche:
“This is Canada, man; there are many french people here. Don’t like them? Leave!”
Last I checked, that’s what the French in Quebec were trying to do twice so far. They’ve been extorting and crying and complaining for my entire lifetime. It’s not I that is need of and exit.
“Are you going to ask them to “speak white” next?”
Last I checked, it was the French separatists who were blaming non-whites from La Belle for losing the referendum. And in case you were unaware, France is in Europe. It is populated with people who are already “white” so they are already speaking “white.”
“You mean a racial/holy war?”
Islam is a religion, not a race. But I guessed you didn’t get the memo…
To compare Iran’s nuclear program to that of Israel it to make the most obscene sort of moral-relativism. Israel is surrounded by much larger countries that all want them dead. Israel has been attacked 5 times by these countries in less than 50 years. No one in Israel has ever threatened to nuke another country out of existence as Iran has. Only the anti-Semitic or outrageously stupid would ever make such an asinine comparison.
“You guys are the dangerous radical fringe, not us.”
This “war on terror,” which in reality the next stage in a war that started with Mohamed himself, which you have so much contempt for, is going to decide the fate of us all. We can win or we decide to either die or live as a slave. You may be happy being a slave under Sharia law but I will never accept it. This is the next wave of Islamic Imperialism that will either be defeated or they will swallow the entire world. They, unlike us, hold the long view. They, unlike us, are willing to see the struggle for global islam as a job of millennia rather than weeks. They, unlike us, do not see every body as proof of failure.
You have to decide what’s it gonna be: fight or roll over.
whatever the arabs invented, all of it is overshadowed by their worst invention, the abomination of islam.
by the way, the Normans were only partilly frenchified by the time of the English invasion
Oh, the Normans were French alright. The Saxons in England didn’t like being shut out by the new French culture and Court at all. The French even kept their Norman estates. William I was buried in an abbey in Normandy (forget which one) where they Bayou tapestry is hung.
They fought a lot better than the rest of the French although if King Harold hadn’t had to trek half-way across England to get to Hastings (he was fighting the Welch if I recall,) they wouldn’t have lost. The English were exhausted and in disarray.
Along with William I, the Percy family was next in rank in the invasion. The Percy family traced their lineage back to Charlemagne on his mother’s side – not direct, but close.
Allo, batoche:”You guys are the dangerous radical fringe, not us.”
Posted by Batoche at May 1, 2006 06:08 PM
Tell it to Amir Abbas Fakhravar. He’s on the lam; fleeing to the “Great Satan”, the land of the free, the home of the brave. God save the USA. +
Laborers at a May Day Rally in Iran Turn the Tables Against Mullahs
NY Sun ^ | 5/2/06
Posted on 05/02/2006 12:17:06 PM PDT by freedom44
TEHRAN, Iran – A spontaneous protest by jobless Iranians in Tehran yesterday portends future civil strife for the clerical regime that is fending off Western diplomatic solidarity against its advanced nuclear program.
Against the backdrop of the former American Embassy in Tehran, where American diplomats were first taken hostage in 1979, labor unions gathered for the traditional May 1 demonstrations.
But instead of directing their chants and banners against America, “the Great Satan,” the workers made their target the regime that coined the phrase. At issue was a simmering strike of bus drivers, many of whom have not been paid in months.
The demonstrations come as other cracks in the regime are beginning to form. Secular author and opposition activist Amir Abbas Fakhravar on April 29 successfully escaped from Iran and is heading for America. A spokesman for the Iranian referendum movement – which seeks a plebiscite on Iran’s constitution – said yesterday that Mr. Fakhravar intended to travel to America without delay. +
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1625447/posts